Times of Refreshing and the Restoration of All Things

John Piper

John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including A Peculiar Glory.

And now, brethren, I also know that you acted in
ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the
mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus
fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be
blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of
the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that
God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of
old.

In just few minutes we will hear the choir sing a composition
called "Gloria" by John Rutter. You can see from your worship folders
that the content of the piece is mainly praise: it begins and ends
with, "Glory to God in the highest!"

Three Reasons for Singing, "Glory to God"

What I want to do in preparation is to put in your head and in
your heart three clear, Bible-based reasons for why we should sing,
"Glory to God in the highest!" I want there to be truth in your
minds that makes you feel about this music—"Yes, that's what
we ought to say! That's what we ought do! Yes, God is worthy of
that! Sing it choir! Sing it!" And we will rise up and join them
with "O Come All Ye Faithful" at the end.

We will take the next five verses in the book of Acts (3:17–21)
as the basis of three great reasons for singing, "Glory to God in
the highest."

Reason #1

GOD FULFILLS HIS HOPE-GIVING PROMISES IN SPITE OF AND
THROUGH THE OPPOSITION OF IGNORANT PEOPLE.

Acts 3:17–18: "And now, therefore, brethren, I know that you
acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold
by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he
thus fulfilled."

What highlights the glory of God in these verses is that the
people who opposed Jesus and betrayed him and slandered him and
mocked him and crucified him were all ignorant of God's purposes,
and what was really happening. Yet verse 18 says that it is
precisely through the opposition of this ignorance that God
fulfilled all his promises that Christ should suffer for sinners
and bear the sins of many.

This means that when God decrees to fulfill some good purpose
for us, no amount of opposition from ignorance or godlessness can
stop him. He will simply make all opposition and all ignorance
serve his purpose.

That's reason #1 for why we should be full of praise this
morning, and sing, "Glory to God in the highest": God fulfills his
hope-giving promises in spite of and through the opposition of
ignorant people.

Reason #2

The reason God fulfilled what the prophets spoke about the
suffering of the Messiah was so that the suffering of Jesus would be the
triumph over all guilt. The prophet said, "He was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are
healed."

So if you repent toward God this morning and turn to trust this
crucified and risen Messiah, Jesus, all your sins will be wiped
away. It's a beautiful word—the same one used in Revelation
for the wiping away of every tear.

That's the second reason for singing, "Glory to God in the highest" this morning. God wipes away all the sins of all who
repent and turn to Christ.

Reason #3

GOD WILL ONE DAY ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST UPON
THIS EARTH.

Notice, as I read these final verses, three wonderful things about
this future kingdom—our future.

Acts 3:19b–21: "19b) . . . that times of refreshing might come
from the presence of the Lord [#1, our future will be an age of
refreshment; we really will mount up with wings like eagles], 20)
and that he [God] may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus [#2,
our future will be with Jesus; finally we will see and know him
face-to-face], 21) whom heaven must receive until the time for
establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of holy prophets from
of old [#3, literally it reads: 'until the times for the
restoration of all things.' So our future will be in a new world
like the garden of Eden. Things will be restored. Not just like it.
But like it and better! All pain, all tragedy, all catastrophe, all
frustration, all futility will be gone]."

So that's reason #3 for singing to God this morning. Let me sum
them all up and send us into the Gloria with hearts full of truth.
And it may be that what the truth and the music do for you is
make you hungry for prayer about some need in your life. If so, we
invite you to find one of our prayer teams after the service and
ask them to pray with you about it.

Summary

THREE REASONS TO SOAR WITH THE CHOIR AS THEY GIVE GLORY
TO GOD.

Reason #1. God fulfills his hope-giving promises in spite of and
through the opposition of ignorant people.

Reason #2. God wipes away all the sins of people who repent and
turn to Christ.

Reason #3. God will one day establish the kingdom of Christ on
the earth.

It will be a time of refreshing. It will be a time with Jesus
face to face. It will be a time when everything will be restored to
beauty and goodness and truth to the glory of God.